1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to storage compartments and workstations and more particularly to a concealable workstation for use on sea-faring vessels such as pleasurecraft and boats.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well appreciated in the art of marine vessels and particularly pleasurecraft and sport boats, on-board storage and usable working space is an absolute necessity. However, because of the relatively small confines of a boat cabin or cockpit in conjunction with the unpredictable ride and handling characteristics of a boat, designing useful storage compartments and workspaces is challenging. While certain known designs are suitable for certain purposes, many have compromises whereby the use of one feature necessarily detracts from the other; for example, deploying a cooktop may render a drawer unusable. Consequently, there have been numerous attempts to develop more efficient and usable storage compartments and workspaces for vessels.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,825 to Davidson discloses a boat having a sink and food preparation station concealed by a cushioned deck. Compartments on either side of the engine area of the vessel allow for storage of an ice chest, food, clothing or other items and are accessible from the rear cabin area when hinged portions of the cushioned deck are raised. The side of the rear cabin behind the captain seat accommodates a portable toilet which is concealed underneath the captain seat. Accordingly, while providing concealed and useful storage, the cushioned seat area is rendered useless when the storage and food station are needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,261 to Goldsmith discloses a combination seat for boats having a housing with an upper section and a lower section, a seating assembly mounted on the upper section and a galley assembly mounted in the lower section. The seating assembly moves between an erected position where it defines a pair of back-to-back seats and a collapsed position wherein it defines a flat sleeping platform. The upper housing section and seating assembly are upwardly hingeable to provide access to the galley assembly. Thus, in order to access the galley assembly, the seat assembly is rendered useless.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,335 to Magnuson describes a combined seat and tackle container for ice fishing having a seating portion, a rear storage compartment integrate with the back rest of the seat, and a hinged seat bottom which covers an upper storage compartment in which small items may be stored. A lower storage compartment is also provided beneath the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,404 to Menne describes a combined seating and storage system for pontoon boats having a lid connected to a storage container by a double pivot hinge which enables the lid to open to a vertical position in front of the storage container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,525 to Lacasse et al. describes a combination steering console and refreshment center for a pontoon boat. The console includes a first face on which with the steering wheel is mounted and a second, opposing face. The upper portion of the second face includes an opening with a hinged cover which moves from a closed position to a horizontal open position, which exposes a service counter. The storage counter may include one or more wells which may be used for sinks, cook tops, or the like. A lower storage compartment is provided below the storage counter.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a more efficient concealable storage and workspace system that maximizes the usable space without interfering with other structures or having one feature thereof detract from another. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the storage systems in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.